Persona C
by TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere
Summary: In the city of Mukuroku, hauntings and ghost sightings are the norm. As are the mysterious reports of people disappearing, supposedly spirited off to another world. An unexpected transfer student arrives when the blue moon is to appear more frequently, and becomes entangled with these supernatural happenings. [A Choose Your Adventure Story]


**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own the Persona or Shin Megami Tensei series. All rights belong to Atlus and Sega.

* * *

**IABTDO: "I curse my stars i-"**

**Stranger: Finish that sentence, and so help me, I will whack you.**

**IABTDO: Hmph. Killjoy.**

**Stranger: Well, everyone. To start, welcome to my new story, as well as my second biggest project to date since my first story "Fate/VRAINS." It is an original persona story, inspired by an April Fool's joke for a game called "Persna C: Call of Darkness." The creator of said joke went so far as to make character trailers. **

**Stranger: Initially, I didn't have any intention of doing this story, not until I came to a realization. That is to say, if I was going to bring this story to life, I needed a partner. And as it just so happens, I made two of them.**

**IABTDO: I normally don't accept requests for help with a fanfiction, but I had to admit, when she pitched the idea to me, I was intriuged. That said, I have no actual part in writing this story. All I offer as contribution are the characters and story direction. The actual writing goes to Stranger and her fellow co-writer, Daemon of Wrath.**

**Stranger: Huge thanks to him. And if you don't recognize this person, he is the author of "Something Wicked This Way Comes." ...the Overlord x RWBY crossover, not the book. Speaking of which, when are you-**

**IABTDO: The next chapter will come when it is ready. How often must I repeat myself?!**

**Stranger: Sheesh! No need to get your panties in a twist!**

**IABTDO: _Pardon_?**

**Stranger: ...nothing. *coughs* A-anyway, please enjoy the story!**

* * *

_This story is a work of fiction._

_Any relations to events, places and persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental._

* * *

"God is dead.  
God remains dead.  
And we have killed him."  
-Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

**"Persona C ~ Call of Darkness"**

* * *

_**Part I ~ The Call of Darkness**_

_**Prologue**_

* * *

The room was dimly lit, illuminated by an ambient and soft glow with a blue tinge. The air was filled with music. A woman singing could be heard clearly, echoing and creating a soothing calm. The room was spacious, easily the size of a classroom. It was a parlor of some sort, the walls coated in deep blue wallpaper with black decorations of vines and roses. A fireplace sat in the far back, the mantle black with a large portrait of a masked man dressed in white sitting atop it. The way the man was positioned, it looked as if they were peering down at whoever entered the room. Various other paintings decorated the room, each showing different scenes. One portrait showed a blue-haired boy standing before a brilliant light shrouded in red, and another had a silver-haired man standing amid a cloud of fog surrounding him, back turned and facing a giant shape hidden by the cloud.

In the center of the room were two chairs and a large table. The chairs looked as if they were made of glass and had only three legs instead of four. The backrest was also shaped like a picture frame, though there was obviously no picture in the center. The table was circular in shape with deep blue tablecloth pulled over it, embroided in gold tailings.

The room had two occupants. One had a hood pulled over their head, the shadow hiding their face. Their body movements suggested that they were conscious. The other was a bizarre man wearing an expensive-looking black suit, his head bald with what little left of his frost-white hair neatly combed down. His nose was abnormally long, his eyes bulging and bloodshit. His hands were neatly folded beneath his chin, and a wide toothy grin stretched across his face.

"How unusual..." the man remarked in a deep voice. "It is not often that I receive such _intriguing_ guests such as yourself. What could have brought you to this place, I wonder? How interesting!" The hooded person tilted their head, as if questioning them. "Ah! Pardon my manners. Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. I welcome you to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those, who are bound by a contract, may enter."

"Now then..." Igor leaned in. "Might I know your name, young man?" The hooded person's lips parted, as if speaking, only to pause and fall silent. Their voice had gone unheard. The bizarre man hummed. "I see... It seems you cannot recall your sense of self properly. Not unusual for one like yourself. In that case, what can you recall about yourself?"

!CHOICE!

**(The old man questions what you remember. What do you recall about yourself?)**

[Date of Birth]

[Blood Type]

[Favorite Thing]

!CHOICE!

The hooded person thought deeply as these questions entered their mind before speaking. Igor's smile widened. "Splendid. I believe that will be enough. You appear to have a good grasp on your sense of self. Perhaps you can recall your name in due time."

Before he could continue, a shimmering light expanded off to the side. A small figure stepped out from the light, which then faded after having served its purpose. "Master. I've returned." the figure replied in a high-pitched voice. It belonged to a child, but it was smooth with an air of maturity.

Looking at the figure, the hooded person saw that it was a boy, barely in his adolescences, with platinum blonde hair, two locks framing the sides of his face and curled in front of his ears. His eyes were a strange shade of molten gold, dressed in a blue shirt with golden buttons along the front, each button possessing a "V" engraved into it. A black stripe ran down the front of the shirt. Black shorts came down over his knees, a thin golden chain coming down from his left pants pocket and circling back around to one of the back pockets. His hands were covered by black gloves, and in hand was a large book the size of an Atlas Dictionary.

The boy opened to speak further, but paused when he noticed the presence of their guest. "Ah, you are..."

"Now, Stein. Don't be rude."

"Forgive me. I did not wish to stare so rudely." the boy apologized, bowing his head. "I am known as Stein. I am Master's assistant. I hope that I will be able to assist you when the time comes. I am still new in my task, so please be patient with me."

"Stein is quite young, but he will prove useful to you when the time comes." Igor informed the hooded person. The music was suddenly pierced by the ringing sound of a grandfather clock blaring out in alarm. "It appears our time has reached its end. Until we meet again, young man..."

The hooded person looked as if they wished to protest, but their eyelids fell heavy. Their consciousness began to blur before they faded into subconsciousness, the world swallowed by darkness in front of them...

* * *

**April 4th, 2019**

**{Early Morning}**

_(...)_

A pair of dark eyes fluttered open, staring up at a familiar ceiling. Bright beams of light poked through the blinds of his windows, striking him in the face. Groaning, the teen pushed himself up from his bed, sitting up while shaking his head to shrug off the early morning grogginess.

_(It seems like you had a weird dream. What was it about?)_

[...last night, it was reported that a student at Tsuwasa Private Acadey, a Masaomi Yagami, has been reported as missing.] The teen turned his head, finding the small television set sitting on his entertainment center playing what looked like a news report. [According to his parents, Masaomi Yagami-kun was known to go missing for several days, on account of associating with what his parents refer to as an unsavory crowd. However, at the time of this report, Masaomi has been gone for two weeks. The police have officially begun their investigation. The locals of Mukuroku City believe that this could be yet another Spirited case, as astronomers predict that the blue moon will be appearing frequently through the year.]

_(The Spirited...)_

The teen stared at the television for a moment before shaking his head, pushing himself off the bed and walking over to his closest.

_(Today is your first day at Mukuroku High School. You should hurry up and get dressed to get there early.)_

He pulled out his school uniform, which consisted of a pristine white shirt and jacket and a pair of black slacks. The ensemble was complete with a red neck tie.

He stared at the tie and gave a grimace. He set the neck wear aside and donned the rest of his uniform. He slipped on the jacket and pulled the hood over his head before grabbing the last necessity: a black medical mask. Placing the thin strings over the ears, and the mask gently pressing against his face, the hooded teen grabbed his backpack and exited his apartment, locking the door behind him.

As he left, one of the hooded teen's neighbors happen to see him go and scrunched his forehead in confusion. "Strange..." he murmured.

"Dear?" An elderly woman poked her head out from the window, her face covered in wrinkles. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I didn't know we had a new neighbor. I would have thought the manager would have told us."

* * *

Mukuroku City. A seaside town located just off to the southwest coast of Japan, sitting right beside the coastline. Well known for its beautiful beaches and attractions, Mukuroku City was a well known tourist destination. The number of visiting tourists dramatically increas whenever the summer season rolls around.

The cool beach breeze and season made it an excellent vacation spot. In terms of its academics, there were two educational facilities: Mukuroku High School and Tsuwasa Private Academy. Mukuroku was the standard education center, though many had criticized the school's low standards and subpar teaching methods. The school was on the decline for the last couple of years, and funding was slowly coming to a trickle. On the other end of the spectrum was Tsuwasa Private Academy, which excelled in academics to the point where it produced high profile members of society. However, the teachers were incredibly strict, to the point that some students had dropped out or transferred to Mukuroku due to the harsh discipline and methods involved in said teachings.

However, what made Mukuroku a hot spot for tourism was not its beaches, but rather its more curious happenings.

Namely, hauntings.

The city was a hotspot for supernatural activity. Haunted houses were no strangers to this place, much less countless ghost sightings. Many of the locals even claimed that they saw ghosts regularly, but others were skeptical as there was no proof of said sightings. The more popular of the supernatural stuff were The Spirited - people who vanish without warning and are never found. The cases of the Spirited go all the way back to the early 1900s. To this day, the missing persons have yet to be found. The frequency varied each year, but one thing the locals had noticed was that, during the Blue Moon period, the Spirited activity grew in number.

Aug 6No one knows why this phenomenon is the case, but the locals simply noticed the correlation between the two events.

It also just so happened that this very year was forecasted to have more than one Blue Moon, which possibly meant more disappearing cases. As such, this was the hot topic around the students of Mukuroku High School.

The academy was located a few miles away from Mutsubi Beach, a favored location during the hot summer days. The school, true to its dwindling budget, was relatively small in scale with only three fairly large buildings. The walls of the building were faded brown, a small clocktower monument in the center of the entryway. The gates were rusted and worn from continued use, but with the start of the school year, the faculty had hoped that they would be able to give a bit more life into the building. In a way, Mukuroku High School was not so different from the Inaba region's own Yasogami High School, though whereas the school had a rustic and historical feel to it, Mukuroku was slightly more modernized.

In Classroom 3-A, the students were idly chatting away at their desks, all wearing a white blazer with a pin along the collar, an "X"-shaped groove engraved into it with a Roman Numeral. The numeral was meant to serve as a marker for students to identify which year they belonged to. The class was filled entirely with seniors, evident by their pins having the Roman numeral "3" engraved.

"Hey, did you hear?" one student asked his neighbor. "There's supposed to be a lot of Blue Moons this year."

The messy-haired teen groaned. "Ugh, great. Does that mean more people are going to go missing?"

"What?" the student laughed. "Think you might become one of the Spirited?"

"Dude, it isn't funny. The news was exciting at first, but now it's just creepy. My folks and I moved here barely a year ago, and we're thinking about moving back to Tokyo. This place just doesn't feel safe anymore."

"Ah, come on. It's just superstitious talk." a female student with braids giggled. "You actually don't believe that the Spirited were taken away to another world, do you?"

"That depends, how many people have gone missing?"

"Speaking of moving," another girl, hair tied into a ponytail, hummed. "I heard something very interesting. It looks like we're getting a transfer student today!"

"Wait, what?"

"Where'd you hear about this?" the messy-haired student asked. "I thought we would have already known about this sort of stuff like a week ago."

"I heard one of the teachers talking about it! Even they were surprised to hear about it!"

The braided girl tilted her head. "Huh. So does that mean it was a last minute transfer? Maybe someone lost their transfer papers?"

"Been a while since we got a transfer student, though! I wonder what they're like."

The first student leaned in curiously. "Know which class they're supposed to be transferring to?"

Before the ponytail girl could answer, the door to the classroom slid open. The teacher, a woman of young age with choppy shoulder-length brown hair, a braid with cherry-red highlights falling down over her right shoulder and dark blue eyes, stepped inside. She wore a button-up shirt underneath a black sweater with the sleeves rolled up, plus a mini-skirt that showed off her toned legs. Something the males greatly appreciated. Her shoulders visibly sagged, and there were dark rings under her eyes.

Realizing that their free time was over, the students quickly quieted down and clamored back to their seats. This didn't stop them from whispering, however.

"Hey, is that Otoha-sensei?"

"Looks like. Man, she looks like a wreck."

"I wonder what happened?"

"Alright, everyone. Settle down." the teacher said, authority clear in her voice, despite the upbeat and cheery tone. Though she was clearly exhausted, it didn't stop her from smiling. "I'm sure some of you kids from last year might remember me, but my name is Mitsuki Otoha. I'll be your homeroom teacher for this year. Let's get along, yeah? Now, before we go over what we teachers have in store for you seniors, we have a bit of a surprise announcement to make. We have a new transfer student with us!"

The news surprised everyone. While they had heard about this surprise earlier, they were not expecting them to be transferring to this class. It was a bit exciting, with many eager to see what the new kid was like.

"Alright, come on in!" Otoha called out.

The door opened as a male teenager walked in. All eyes were trained on one particular feature he had: the black surgical mask on his face. In fact, it was the only prominent feature about him. Everything else seemed to be plain.

There was little presence to him. In fact, "weird" would be a good description. His eyes were dark gray, almost black, and his hair was a dark shade of purple, somewhat unkempt underneath his hood. The white collar of the blazer could be seen in the gap of his hoodie, while over it he wore a black overcoat that came down to his knees. One hand held his bag while the other was comfortably sitting in his coat pocket. His pants looked brand new as if he had just put them on, and his shoes were neatly polished.

"His transfer caught us by surprise, as it was something of a last minute decision." Otoha said. "That said, do treat him kindly, yeah? Well, go on! Introduce yourself!"

The hooded teen gave Otoha a sideways glance before looking to the class.

!CHOICE!

**(What will you say?)**

[ "..Yo." ]

[ "Nice to meet you." ]

[ "..." ]

!CHOICE!

After his introduction was finished, Otoha then cleared her throat. "Okay, then. Does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask him?"

"Right here." the messy-haired student raised his hand. "What's with the mask?"

"...I get sick easily." came the dull reply. No more words came from him, leaving the class in an awkward silence.

"...uh, where are you from?" the braided girl asked next.

!CHOICE!

**(What will you say?)**

[ "Around." ]

[ "From the grave." ]

!CHOICE!

"Anything else everyone wants to ask?" Otoha asked. No one raised their hands. "No further questions? Very well, then." The teacher turned to the hooded teen. "Why don't you take a seat in the middle of the row on the left? Behind..." She paused briefly, suddenly noticing that the seat she was pointing to was vacant. "Is Shiomi-chan not here today again?" Otoha muttered under her breath with a sigh. "Well, just take your seat."

The hooded teen nodded and approached his new desk. As he sat down and put his bag on the floor, he could hear the students whispering about him.

"Sheesh, talk about quiet. Is he some kind of ghost, do you think?"

"He looks like a total creep if you ask me!"

"And what was with that vague response about where he's from? Is he trying to act cool and mysterious or something?"

"Looked more like to me he didn't know how to answer."

"Alright, settle down!" Otoha barked, ceasing all noise entirely. "Homeroom's about to start. Now, take out your notebooks and pay attention. Now, regarding your final year here at Mukuroku High..."

_(So, this will be your life from now on. You wonder if you'll be able to fit in here.)_

* * *

**April 4th, 2019**

**{Lunch}**

Break time arrived, and before long, the students were either pouring out of the classroom or stayed behind, chatting with friends. The hooded teen, on the other hand, remained seated and instead looked out the window, staring at the clear blue sky stretching above the city with nary a cloud in sight. The scene was peaceful, and brought a strange sense of serenity to him.

Unfortunately, the moment was not long lived. "Excuse me, are you the new student?" a mellow and soft voice inquired behind him. The hooded teen looked over his shoulder and found another student, this one possessing a rather 'handsome' look to him. His hair was dark and curly, bangs hiding his left eye from view. The visible eye was colored light brown. His uniform appeared to be modified slightly, wearing a black cardigan over the blazer, complete with a blue necktie with a bell-shaped pin on the lapel.

The hooded teen stared at him. "...who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. That was rude of me!" the curly-haired student chuckled. "My name's Kimitada Eisuke. I'm the Student Council President here at Mukuroku High. It's nice to meet you!"

"...Likewise." He nodded his head in turn. He said no further than that.

However, Eisuke tried his best to keep the conversation rolling. "So...have you been enjoying your time at Mukuroku so far?"

**(What will you say?)**

[ "I only just got here." ]

[ "It's been...curious." ]

[ "I've only been here for a few hours." ]

"Oh, right. My bad, sorry. You just transferred today. My bad." Eisuke said with an apologetic smile. "I just came to meet you in person. It's been a while since our school has had a transfer student, much less someone that no one knew about. Word tends to travel fast around here. At any rate, there's actually something I wanted to ask you." Eisuke's expression changed, turning into concern. "How long have you been here in town?"

"...not very long."

"I see. You wouldn't happen to have run into a girl wearing a beanie with cat-shaped ears and a studded choker around her neck, have you?" The hooded teen shook his head. Eisuke sighed deeply. "I see. I hope she's doing alright." His expression then changed back into that bright smile of his. "Well, I hope you enjoy your time here at Mukuroku High School. Sure, our facilities here aren't up to bar with Tsuwasa's, but we make up for it with enthusiasm!"

...why did that line sound so rehearsed?

"I better get going." Eisuke turned on his heel, waving the hooded teen goodbye. "I'll see you around, Transfer-kun!"

The hooded teen watched Eisuke leave the classroom, vanishing past the doorway and into the hall. He stared for a while before returning his attention to the scenery outside the window. As he did so, he noticed a shape standing close to the school gates. He couldn't quite make it out, but it appeared to be a small girl of some sort, wearing a yellow sundress. That was as much as the hooded teen could identify before he blinked, the girl vanishing shortly afterwards.

_(What was that...?)_

* * *

**April 4th, 2019**

**{After School}**

School had reached its end. The sun had started to set into the horizon, turning the sky orange. The students were well on their way home, leaving the classrooms behind and pouring into small crowds. The hooded teen quietly packed up his belongings and proceeded to leave the classroom. The rest of the day had gone by uneventfully. He descended down the stairs leading to the first floor, then paused just as his foot touched the second to last step. He could hear two voices arguing with one another.

"Honestly, Otoha! This is the third time this week!"

"I-I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

Curious, but careful not get caught, he peered over the edge and found his homeroom teacher speaking with another woman, much older than Otoha and with wrinkles all over her face, hair frost white and tied in a bun. Her eyes were hidden behind thin glasses that had a reflective glare. If the way Otoha squirmed underneath her gaze, it was clear that she wasn't happy in the least.

"You do realize that, if this keeps up, we will have no choice but to give you a termination notice." the older woman snapped. "While I understand your situation, you must also remember the precarious position our school is in! The School Board will be coming by in the next few months, and it may be our only chance to secure more funding."

Otoha bit her lower lip. "I-I know. It's just that..."

The woman stared at his homeroom teacher for several more minutes before she sighed and shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why don't you take some time off?" she suggested. "You have been accumulating free days, haven't you?"

"I-I can't do that! Like you said, the teachers are working hard to give Mukuroku High a second chance!" Otoha argued. "Besides, I... I need to do this. To keep my mind off things."

"...Alright." The woman relented after a few moments. "But I implore you to at least get more sleep from now on. I know you're working hard, but if you keep this up, you're going to collapse."

"Y-yes ma'am...I'll keep that in mind."

The older woman nodded curtly and walked off. Otoha stared at the ground, her hair overshadowing her eyes. Not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble, the hooded teen walked away as quietly as he could and made his return home.

* * *

Kimitada Eisuke was intrigued. A feeling that he had grown accustomed to as of late.

"To think that someone like that appeared in our school..." he murmured with a hint of excitement in his voice.

He was by himself in the Student Council Room. The meeting had been a relatively short affair, as like the teachers, they too were focused on ensuring that the school could continue to live. While the teachers worked hard on ensuring that their standards could be met with appraisal by the board, the Student Council's job was to make sure that the students could behave themselves and work just as hard.

The Principal, his father, trusted him a great deal. While some would argue that Eisuke had earned his position as Student Council President because his father owned the school, the truth was that Eisuke had worked diligently to achieve this position through his own merits. He could not rely on his father forever. At some point, he would need to excel on his own. For that same reason, he had begun to grow involved in more than just the affairs of the Student Council. Eisuke was starting to get a foothold in the faculty as well. He had plans of one day becoming a teacher here, and one day surpass his father.

Of course, there was also something else about Kimitada Eisuke that no one knew about. That was, namely, his knowledge about the supernatural. Few people, including his father, knew about his interest in the occult. If one were to look at his browser history, they would find that he visited all sorts of forums and sites that explored and discussed the occult, with a particular interest in the hauntings and ghost stories of Mukuroku City.

This, of course, included the Spirited.

"I can feel it. He has great potential..." Eisuke rubbed his chin. "But its dormant. I wonder, can he see what I see also?"

So far, the new student hadn't demonstrated any signs of it. But it was too soon to properly tell. How long had it been since Eisuke found someone who had the same potential that he did? It was a good opportunity for him! Maybe, finally, he could finally see 'that' place for himself, instead of just witnessing vague images of it.

Though, sadly, his priorities were mostly focused on finding Shiomi. He was no fool. The timing had just been too perfect. She had lost someone very important to her, and her family situation, based on what little he knew, had not been pleasant. No doubt she found herself wandering 'that' place.

"It's my fault this happened..." Eisuke grimaced. "If only I had tried harder to reason with her." But he knew that empty apologies wouldn't help him find her. Eisuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need to find someway to enter that place. But how?"

If he didn't find a way soon...then there would be yet another Spirited.

* * *

The hooded teen arrived at his apartment complex to find someone standing outside his home. It was a man, probably in his early to mid-twenties, easily over six feet tall with a body built for an athlete. His presence made the hooded teen nervous, wondering why this person would be here. He hadn't done anything here. Or was he some kind of thug?

**(What should you do?)**

[ Call out to them. ]

[ Wait and see what happens. ]

[ Run away. ]

The hooded teen's action alerted the stranger of his presence. The man saw him and narrowed his eyes, removing himself from the wall and approached. He was wearing what looked to be a black muscle-shirt underneath a black sweater with twin white strips running down the arms. His sweats were rolled up to his calves, also bearing twin white strips down the sides. His black hair was swept back and long, tied into a small ponytail that came over his shoulder. As he drew closer, the hooded teen felt a sense of danger around this person, matched by his dark eyes.

"...are you the new tenant that the others have been talking about?" the man asked, voice deep. The hooded teen wondered why he was asking that, but nodded. The sooner he could get this over with, the better. "My name is Kojiro. I'm the landlord's son. Could you show me your papers?"

The hooded teen tilted his head. "...why?"

"Just show me your papers, and I'll be out of your hair." Kojiro pressed.

The hooded teen was confused. Why was this person asking about his papers? Well, the sooner he could get this over with, the better. He humored Kojiro and opened the door into his apartment, stepping inside. The man followed after him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Kojiro looked slightly stunned by the state of the room. He could feel his eyes on him, clearly suspicious, though he didn't understand why. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small vanilla folder, which he kept for important documents since he got here. He took out the document that proved he was a tenant here and handed it to Kojiro.

The man took it and gave it a thorough look. The longer he read the paper, the less tense he seemed. After he finished reading the document, Kojiro sighed and gave the hooded teen his document back. "Looks like you're legit. Sorry about that."

**(What will you say?)**

[ "Why did you need to check if I was a tenant?" ]

[ "What's this about?" ]

"About a month ago, my father found out that someone that one of the tenants was actually a squatter." Kojiro explained sheepishly. "Worse, the squatter caused a bit of property damage during his time here and stole some items. My father had to pay for the damages straight out of his own pocket."

"...I see." the hooded teen nodded in understanding.

Kojiro stared at the hooded teen curiously. "It's strange, though... My father never told me that we had a new tenant living here." He eyed the hooded teen suspiciously, but it didn't last for very long before he sighed and shook his head. "Then again, he is getting on in years. Again, sorry about the confusion." He turned on his heel and made way for the day. "Have a nice day."

The door shut behind him. The hooded teen scratched the back of his head, slightly exasperated by this sudden encounter before he set his school bag down and sat down on his bed. That had been quite an unusual circumstance. Yet he supposed he couldn't not understand where the man was coming from. He was just here to make sure their new tenant didn't cause any trouble.

Certainly, his intimidating visage would be enough for a deterrent.

The hooded teen let out a small yawn.

_(You feel tired. You should go to bed for the day.)_

_(...)_

* * *

**April 5th, 2019**

**{Early Morning}**

"That's the transfer student?"

"Yep. That's the Ghost Kid."

"Ghost Kid?"

"It's what the underclassmen call him. No one knew he was transferring, not even the teachers. And considering what Mukuroku's known for..."

"You think he might be one of those Spirited?"

"C'mon! That's crazy! But still...how weird. I know the school's been lagging lately, but how can they not know of a transfer?"

"Well, it is on the decline. I bet you in a few years, it'll be torn down or abandoned."

The whispers of the students around him were as loud as the stinging music of a cicada. The hooded teen ignored them in favor of heading to school without incident. As was the case with his unusual choice in attire, a few people noticed his medical mask and looked at him with a mixture of confusion, suspicion and something in between. The new kid was always the one to receive attention, though he doubted his apparent fame would last for long. Soon, the excitement surrounding him would die down, and he would be free to pursue his school life without interruption.

However, gossip proved to be a good way to learn more about one's surroundings. Since he had only arrived at Mukuroku not too long ago, there was much about the tourist spot that he did not know. Through the whispers about the "Ghost Kid," the hooded teen listened carefully for any sort of trending news or whispers of gossip.

The two students in front of him, heedless of the one behind them, spoke candidly towards one another. "Umi-chan hasn't been uploading in a while." a rather sleepy-looking student said in dismay. "I hope she's feeling okay."

"Umi-chan? You talking about the VRMeTuber?" a girl with twintails tilted her head. "I'm surprised anyone still follows her, given what she did last year."

'VRMeTube' was the Virtual Reality's answer to YouTube. Since VR headsets had become a bit more commonplace in Japan, what with a sudden interest in virtual technology, a special site was created where anyone could upload clips and videos of their own creation, all made possible because of the VR technology at their disposal. While it hadn't developed as much attention in other countries, almost everyone in Japan used it, especially the hardcore gaming community.

The name Umi-chan was unfamiliar to the hooded teen, though the topic did catch his attention. It could be worth listening to.

"Didn't she say her account got hacked, though?" the sleepy student rebutted with a frown. "I mean, sure, it isn't often that somebody's VRMe account gets jacked, but..."

The twintailed girl rolled her eyes. "If you ask me, it's all just one big publicity stunt. Celebrities do it all the time. Only she went waaay too far! I'm surprised she hasn't gotten her account shut and arrested!"

"Hey, come on..."

_(From the sound of it, this "Umi-chan" did something horrible and caused her popularity to take a hit.)_

The hooded teen arrived at the school gate. His homeroom teacher, Otoha, was manning the front gate with a watchful eye, though she still looked downtrodden. It seemed like she had not taken that older woman's advice. Not that it was any of his business to get involved. Shrugging off his concerns, the hooded teen stepped into the school grounds-

"...why are you here?"

-only for the world to become still, and the air to become cold.

_(...!?)_

Alarmed, the hooded teen looked around. Around him, the students had all stopped in their tracks. In fact, the world looked like it had just lost all of its color. Everyone had become gray, black and white. A cold chill crept into the air, thin fog flooding the ground in a matter of seconds.

The hooded teen was startled. What on earth was happening?

A menacing sense of dread fell over him, approaching from behind. He slowly turned around and found the girl in the yellow sundress directly behind him. She looked like she should be in kindergarden, her hair snow white with a flower clip in the right side of her bangs. Her skin was deathly pale, and her eyes were an unnatural shade of molten yellow. The sclera around her irises were pitch black. Add all of that to the dark aura surrounding her and the feeling of murderous intent, and the hooded teen was certain of one thing.

This little girl was not human.

"Why?" the girl asked, her voice lacking emotion. "Why are you here?"

!CHOICE!

**(You sense danger. You must act carefully.)**

**(What should you do?)**

[ Run away. ]

[ Stand your ground. (Courage Stat +1) ]

[ "What do you mean?" ]

!CHOICE!

As each passing second went by, the feeling of dread intensified. He felt as if an enormous weight was being pressed down atop him. His legs refused to budge. Goosebumps crawled up his skin.

"You shouldn't be here." the girl glared. "You don't have any reason to be here."

The teen didn't know what she was talking about exactly. But he knew one thing for sure.

This 'little girl' was dangerous.

_(You sense danger approaching. You have to flee.)_

The girl's eyes glowed. The feeling of murderous intent grew stronger. Something was about to happen.

She opened her mouth and-

"Hey."

The world stuttered. A feeling of vertigo washed over the hooded teen as he stumbled, clutching his head. A throbbing pain terrorized his brain, his vision becoming blurry. The feeling soon subsided, leaving behind only a dull pain. His vision started to return to normal. Looking up, he realized that the world had regained its color and the students once again on the move. None of them seemed to have noticed the change that occurred just now, nor had they apparently seen what had just transpired.

It took the hooded teen a few seconds to realize that someone had put a hand on their shoulder. Turning around, he found Eisuke standing behind him with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?"

**(What will you say?)**

[ "What was that just now?!" ]

[ "What did you do?" ]

The hooded teen was naturally panicked after what had just happened. He could still feel the after effects of being beneath that haunting gaze of that 'little girl'. His skin felt clammy, and he could feel cold sweat trickling down his neck. Eisuke looked oblivious to this and merely cocked his head to the side. "What are you talking about?" he asked in ignorance. "I just saw you standing in the middle of the gate. Are you okay? Your face is pale. You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

Given what had happened, he might as well have. The hooded teen slowly nodded. He wasn't sure if Eisuke had done it intentionally or not, but he felt that the guy had just saved his life from something potentially dangerous.

"Why don't you head on to class?" Eisuke told him. "I hear that Ms. Yokoba will be your history teacher. You'll need all the help you can get with her." He nodded and hurriedly left. Eisuke watched the hooded teen leave before he turned his attention to the spot where the girl had been. He let out a small sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. "That was close... Still, to think even the Shadows would take an interest in him. And so aggressively!"

It was strange, though. Based on what little info he had, the transfer student didn't meet the criteria. There shouldn't be any reason for them to go after him. Or was it because he was different somehow? After all, Shadows never reacted so negatively towards someone like that before. It meant to kill him then and there.

Eisuke shuddered to think what would have happened to the poor kid if he hadn't pulled him out of 'that place' in time.

* * *

Unnoticed by anyone, there had been another child watching the proceedings, dressed in black and blue and carrying a large tome.

"So...he is beginning to awaken. But this...appears troubling..." the youth mused.

Normally, Stein would not be allowed to leave the Velvet Room without his master's approval, but he was a bit unique compared to his siblings. He was only created a short time ago, after all. And whereas they were bound by duty, Stein was pulled along by his innate curiosity towards human beings - the source of all things that transpired.

He wanted to learn more. He wanted to know more. He wanted to understand them better.

In truth, Stein didn't understand why he felt this need. Was it because he was inherently different from his siblings? Was it because he was a "newborn"? He had no answers to either question, but he felt as if he could discover those answers in due time.

"The wild card is the epitome of endless possibility." Stein recalled the words of his master, watching the hooded teen, still shaken after his first encounter with a Shadow, enter the school building. "I wonder...what sort of potentials could you show me?"

A hint of a smile, one filled with anticipation, filled his face before he turned on his heel, entering the blue door behind him. The door closed shut behind him and vanished, as if it was never there to begin with.

* * *

PROLOGUE ~ Complete

* * *

**Character Files**

The Hero  
Arcana: The Fool

The protagonist. His transfer into Mukuroku City was unexpected, with no one even knowing about it until the day of his arrival. He is extremely connected to the other world, and is capable of interacting with the denizens there. More to be added...

Kimitada Eisuke  
Arcana: The Hanged Man

The Student Council President of Mukuroku High School and son to the school's president. He is a hard worker, preferring to rely on his own abilities than his father's influence. Appears to know something about the other world. More to be added...

Mitsuki Otoha  
Arcana: The Lovers

The protagonist's homeroom teacher. She appears to have recently experienced an incident that has left her severely depressed, though she does her best to hide it behind a smile. She is on the verge of being fired due to her constant mistakes. More to be added...

Stein  
Arcana: The World

Igor's current assistant in the Velvet Room. He was recently created and considers himself to be a "newborn." Unlike his older siblings, he ventures outside the Velvet Room frequently to observe human beings.

* * *

**Terms**

The Spirited:  
The name coined by the locals of Mukuroku city, referring to individuals within the city who have disappeared without a trace and have yet to be found. These disappearances have been occurring for well over a century, and none of the people who have disappeared have ever been found. Given the supernatural activity that occurs in the city, the locals believe that the victims were all spirited away to another world, hence the name.

Blue Moon:  
A natural occurring phenomenon, which happens when certain conditions have been met. It has been noted that the number of the Spirited tends to rise whenever a Blue Moon is present.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: I hope you've enjoyed what you've read. Choose your choices wisely. The decisions now may not mean anything, but who knows what kind of decisions you may have to make in the future?


End file.
